Lesson Plan Details

Aging and Scoring White-tailed Deer (FBCEC)

Topic

Habitat and Management - Species and Habitat ManagementWildlife - Mammals

Summary

This lesson is for older participants. They will view a short PowerPoint presentation on using teeth to field-age white-tailed deer and get hands-on practice. They will learn how to score deer antlers by scoring real antlers in the classroom.

Recommended Setting

Indoor or outdoor classroom

Location

Fred Berry Conservation Education Center, Yellville, AR

Contact

Education Program Coordinator, 870-449-3484

Duration

1 -2 hours (Choosing to include only aging or scoring will shorten the duration of this lesson.)

Several sets of teeth and jaw bones (Replicas can be purchased from wildlife education vendors.)

Antler scoring sheet

Background

Biological data such as weight, age, antler size and lactation rates are routinely collected at deer check stations during hunting season. The most reliable method for field-aging deer is by examining the lower jaw teeth. Teeth wear at a characteristic rate. Antler measurements reflect a buck’s health as well its genetics and, to a much lesser degree, its age. Boone and Crockett scoring method (used in this lesson) is the most popular for scoring white-tailed deer and other North American big game. Pope and Young is the method most archers use.

Procedure

Ask the class about their own hunting or deer-watching experiences.

Briefly summarize the history of white-tailed deer in the state including population decline and management practices that helped the species recover.

Review the most current issue of AGFC’s “Arkansas Deer Season Summary” and discuss how and why deer data are collected.

Show the “Aging Deer”PowerPoint presentation, and then cover the method of deer aging by lingual crests, buccal crests, dentine, enamel, infundibulum, molarsandpremolars.

Give participants, in groups of two or three, sets of deer jaws to practice aging. When they think they know the age, they should explain their guess.

Spend some time aging deer, and then move to scoring the antlers.

Discuss the characteristics and growth of white-tailed deer antlers. Discuss the burr, spread and difference between nontypicaland typical tines.

Begin the scoring section by discussing what can be learned about a deer from its antlers. The buck’s health, nutrition and genetics will impact the size and shape of the rack. This will, in turn, influence breeding with does.

Give participants a score sheet and go over the scoring procedure with them. Place antlers at their stations and let the participants score them. When they are finished, instruct them to compare results.

Modifications

Review

Compare the teeth of a fawn with an adult white-tailed deer.

Determine the age of a white-tailed deer by observing a jawbone.

List the factors that impact the size and shape of a buck’s antlers.

Explain the difference between horns and antlers.

What factors caused the drastic decline of white-tailed deer in Arkansas around the turn of the century?